ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria has suspended its anti-corruption chief pending the conclusion of investigations, the attorney general’s office said on Friday, without elaborating.
Ibrahim Magu has been appearing before a presidential panel reviewing activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the agency said on Monday.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate suspension of Ibrahim Magu as Ag. Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.
The president put EFCC operations director Mohammed Umar in charge pending the outcome of Magu’s case.
Buhari has made tackling corruption a priority since taking office in 2015. Endemic graft among the political elite dating back decades has left most Nigerians mired in poverty, despite the country being Africa’s biggest economy and energy producer.
(Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram, Camillus Eboh and Felix Onuah; Editing by Mark Heinrich; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha)
